ABSTRACT
The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have had a cereal enrichment program for over 50 years. Some of the discoveries and events that led to the adoption of the program in the United States [1] are:
The discovery in the early 1900s that certain chemical compounds (vitamins) and minerals in foods are essential for good health.
The synthesis of thiamine by R. A. Williams in 1936. The reduced cost of synthetic vitamins made enrichment economically feasible.
The finding that a large proportion of the vitamins and minerals naturally occurring in wheat were being removed by the milling process [2].
The alarming incidence of nutritional deficiency diseases, especially pellagra (niacin deficiency), among the poorer population groups of the United States.
The early advocation by James F. Bell of the General Mills Company, Dr. Russell Wilder of the American Medical Association (AMA), and other influential voices for cereal enrichment.
